Breaking Down Texas A&M Position Groups: Wide Receivers & Tight Ends
Part IV of a multi-part series where we preview each position group for the 2021 season. By: The Hammer
Part IV: WIDE RECEIVERS & TIGHT ENDS
Photo: Craig Bisacre, Texas A&M Athletics
In 2020, the wide receiver unit was the weakest part of the offense. That’s not to say the group was bad, because they were not. In my opinion, it says more about how good the rest of the offense was because for the most part, the receivers did exactly what Jimbo Fisher and Darrell Dickey asked of them. Given the early departures to the NFL after the 2019 season (Quartney Davis, Kendrick Rogers), a Jahmon Ausbon opt out, and both Camron Buckley and Caleb Chapman being injured, the wide out group in 2020 was unproven, thin and not the strength of the offense. And it was understandable why given those departures and injury troubles.
So what did Jimbo and Dickey do? They ran an offense that played into the strengths of the team: run first, use your talented tight end and bully teams at the line of scrimmage. The Aggies did not need big, game breaking plays from the wide outs to score points and win games. We went 9-1 and the leading receiver was Ainias Smith with 43 catches for 564 yards. So while the unit wasn’t a huge strength in 2020, they did what they were asked.
I hope Jimbo opens it up a little in 2021 and asks more of the wide receivers. Everyone comes back and Caleb Chapman should be healthy, so all that inexperience has now turned to experience. Hez Jones, Chase Lane, Caleb Chapman and Jalen Preston all have meaningful snaps under their belt, and as usual, Jimbo has recruited well.
But who steps up? If A&M is going to open things up more in 2021, it starts with the quarterback of course (which we’ll get to), but you also need guys on the outside getting separation. I don’t care how accurate your QB is, if your receivers can’t get open it won’t matter.
Photo: Butch Dill, AP Photo
With the emergence of Devon Achane in the backfield, Ainias Smith’s role will likely be more slot receiver centric. He was A&M’s leading receiver in 2020 despite being a running back majority of the year. I still think he’ll line up in the backfield at times but I believe he will transition to the slot more and more. Smith is a swiss army knife who can do it all and I think he is poised for a big year. Smith is a preseason Third Team All-SEC selection and I think he’ll be on an All-SEC team at season’s end as well.
Assuming Chapman is completely over his ACL injury from the Florida game, he can be the big play threat on the outside that was often missing last year. Chapman is 6’5” and around 200 pounds but he can run. A big target like that on the outside to stretch the field and keep the safeties honest will be huge.
After Smith and Chapman, I have to think both Chase Lane and Hez Jones will see a lot of snaps as well. Jones is a consistent player but not one who has shown much breakout, big play ability. He can be a solid safety blanket for King but I don’t see him putting up massive numbers. On the other hand, Chase Lane should be a key contributor. He showed flashes last year and was a consistent presence at wide out. He has good speed, great work ethic and soft hands. I think we see a good year from Lane.
Outside of those guys, it’s hard to say who will emerge. As I mentioned, Jalen Preston saw a good number of snaps late last year but only tallied 7 catches for 74 yards. Many Aggie fans, myself included at times, were clamoring for more Demond Demas last year. His talent and hype are unquestioned but Jimbo rarely let him on the field and Demas missed a few games due to injury. He seems bought in and I would be shocked if he isn't out there more in 2021. How much production that translates to remains to be seen, but I think he can get over the top and make a few big time plays.
Photo: Sean Rayford, Associated Press
I’m hearing good things about Moose Muhammad III and true freshman Yulkeith Brown from fall camp as well. Would love to see these guys see the field some. A lot of the wide receiver’s playing time hinges on how many guys Jimbo decides to rotate in and out. As we saw last year, Jimbo did not substitute much and kept the same group on the field most of the time. While that bothered me at times, I think it was more due to lack of depth than stubbornness. Jimbo did not feel the young guys like Demas and Muhammad were ready so he rolled with the guys he trusted.
In terms of tight ends, we can keep this relatively short. Jaylen Wydermyer is a potential first round draft pick in next year’s NFL draft if he leaves early. All the guy does is put up numbers. He can block in the run game as well, making him a really well rounded tight end. People love the highlight plays of Kyle Pitts, and he is damn good, but he doesn’t block like Wydermyer. Expect the preseason first team All-SEC tight end to have a big junior season.
Behind Wydermyer, Aggie fans are holding our breath hoping Baylor Cupp can remain healthy. Cupp was the number one tight end recruit according to 247Sports in the class of 2019, but has yet to play a single snap of football for A&M due to major injuries the last two years. Seeing Wydermyer and Cupp on the field at the same time would be awesome and could create matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.
I’m fascinated to see how Jimbo handles the rotation at both wide receiver and tight end in 2021. If everyone can stay healthy, he’ll finally have the depth to rotate players in and out if he chooses to. I’m looking for the tight ends to have another big time year and hope the receivers can stretch the field a bit more this year. I know the potential is there, we just need to see it in action.
In part V of this series, we will look at the running backs. Stay tuned.
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